Combined cotton cultivator and chopper



(No Model.)

J. W. ROBERTS.

COMBINED COTTON CULTIVATOR AND CHOPPER. No. 303,050. 3 Patented Aug. 5, 1884.

Jib J.

- INVEMOR: j

ATTORNEYS.

UNrrnn S'rnfrns PATENT JAMES WILLIAM ROBERTS, OF MOODY, MISSOURI.

COMBINED COTTON CULTIVATOR AND CHOPPER.

PECIFICATION forming part ,of Letters Patent No. 303,050,:1ated August 5,1884.

Application filed November 1, i883. N 0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Jxrrns WILLIAM Ron ERTS, of Moody, in the county of Howell and State of Missouri, have invented a new and usefullmprovement in Combined Cotton Cultivators and Choppers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a plan view of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same, part be ing broken away. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation of the same, taken through the line or as, Fig. 1, part being broken away.

The object of this iuventionis to facilitate the'cultivation of cotton, and also topromote convenience in controlling the machine, by means of which the said cultivation is effected.

The invention consists in a combined cotton cultivator and chopper constructed with a frame mounted upon wheels and an axle, and provided with standards and beams connected with the frame by hooks and'staples, and by levers for scraping and plowing the plants. A pivoted lever carrying a chopping-hoe is connected with the axle of the carriage by a connecting-rod, a crank, a shaft, and gear-wheels, so that the chopper will be operated to chop the plants to a stand by the revolution of the said axle. The hoe-carrying lever is pivoted to a vertically-sliding frame provided with runners to slide upon the ground and limit the depth to which the hoe enters the soil. The vertical frame and its attachments are raised from the ground by a lever pivoted to the carriageframe and provided with a catch-bar for supporting the chopper when raised. The drive-wheels are connected with the axle by spring-pressed clutches, operated by forked connecting-rods and a lever,

so that the axle, and consequently the chopwith the said hubs by spiral springs E, also placed upon the said axle B. In the clutches D are formed annular grooves to receive the forked outer ends of the connecting-rods F, which are bent inward, and are pivoted at their inner ends to the lever G upon theoppo- 'site sides of and equally distant from the pivoting-point of the said lever. The lever G is pivoted to a crossbar of the frame 0 in such a. position that its upper end can be readily reached and operated by the driver from his seat H, the standard I of which is attached to a crossbar of the frame 0. J are the plowstandards, to the lower ends of which are at tached scrapers K or plows L, as the work to be done may require.

To the standards J are attached the rear ends of the beams M, which have hooks N formed upon their forward ends, to hook into staples O or eyebolts attached to a cross-bar of the frame (3.

To the upper ends of: the standards J are pivoted the lower ends, P, of the levers Q, which lower ends are curved downwardlyand rearwardly. he levers Q, are pivoted to supports attached to the frame 0, and their rear ends extend back into such a position that they can be readily reached and operated by the driver with his feet to raise and lower the plow-stamlards, to cause the plows to work deeper or shallower in the ground, and to raise them from the ground and to move the said standards laterally to guide the plows. The rear ends of the lovers Q, or a crossbar connected'with the said levers, can be provided with foot-rests for the convenience of the driver in operating the said levers.

To the axle B, at a sideof the frame 0, is attached a large beveled gear-wheel, It, the teeth of which mesh into the teeth of the smaller gear-wheel S, attached to the forward .end of f the shaft T. he shaft T revolves in bearings U, attached to the side bar of the frame G, and to the rear end of the said shalt is attached a crank or crank-wheel, V, to the crank-pin V of which is pivoted the outer end of the con.- nectingrod X. The inner end of the connecting rod X is pivoted to the upper end of the lever Y, to the lower end of which is attached the chopping-hoe Z. The chopping-hoe Z is made with a cutting'odge upon each side, as shown in Fig. 2, so that it will do its work frame 0.

when moving in either direction. The hoe Z is made of a length equal to the required distance apart of the hills to be left for a stand. The lever Y is pivoted at its middle part to the lower cross-bar of the frame a, which slides up and down in keepers b, or other suitable guides attached to the rear cross-bar of the To the lower ends of the side bars of the frame a are attached, or upon them are formed, runners c, which slide upon the soil at the opposite sides of the rows of plants, and serve as a gage to limit the depth to which the chopper Z enters the soil; The draft-strain upon the lower end of the frame a is sustained by the braces d, the forward ends of which are attached to the frame 0, and their rear ends have eyes formed in them toreceive the lower parts of the side bars of the frame a, so that the free up-and-down movement of the said frame will not be prevented.

To the upper part of the frame a is pivoted the rear end of the lever e, which is pivoted to a support attached to the frame 0, and its forward end projects into such a position that it can be readily reached and operated by the driver from'his seat,to raise the frame a and the chopper from and lower them to. the ground. The forward part of the lever 6 moves up and down along a guide-upright, f, which is attached to the frame 0, and has a recess or shoulder formed upon it in such a position as to receive the lever 0 when holding the frame a and the chopper when raised from the ground, and thus support the said frame and chopper.

The drive-wheels A and the gear-whcels RS are so regulated in size that the advance of the machine between the successive strokes of the chopping-hoe Z will leave hills of the size desired for a stand. With this construction a row of plants can be scraped, plowed, and chopped at one passage of the machine along the said row 5 or the chopper can be held from operating and the plants scraped and plowed 1 or the scrapers can be replaced by plows, and

the plants simply plowed by the passage of the machine along the row.

I do not abandon or dedicate to the public any patentable features set forth herein, and not hereinafter claimed, but reserve the right to claim the same either in a reissue of any as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a cotton cultivator and chopper, the combination, with the frame 0, of the standards J, the beams M, extending upwardly in front of said standards, and having hooks N, for engaging the staples O on the frame 0, and the pivoted levers Q, pivoted near their middle, the lower ends extending downwardly and rearwardly, and pivoted to the top of standards J, and their upper rearward arms extending near the seat of the driver, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the said beams and standards can be readily adjusted and guided, as set forth.

2. In a cotton cultivator and chopper, the combination, with the drive-wheels A, the axle B, and the frame O, of the gear-wheels R S, the shaft T, the crank V, the connectingrod X, the lever Y, pivoted to vcrtieallysliding adjustable frame, and the chopp'inghoc Z, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the plants will be chopped to a stand by the passage of the machine along a row of plants, or the said levers and chopping-hoes be suspended, as set forth.

3. In a cotton cultivator and chopper, the combination, with the frame 0 and the lever Y, carrying the chopping-hoe Z, of the sliding frame a, having runners c, the guides b, and the braces d, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the chopper will adjust itself to the surface of the ground, as set forth.

4. In a cotton cultivator and chopper, the combination, with the vertically-sliding frame a, having pivoted thereon the reciprocating lever Y and the chopping-hoe Z, of the lever e, pivotally. connected to the frame a and the main frame 0, and the catch-bar f, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the chopper can be readily raised from and lowered to the ground, as set forth. v

I JAMES VILLIAM ROBERTS.

WVitnesses:

Enos 0. MOKELVY, D. '1. BROWN. 

